Aerolia, a Super Tier-One airframe structural specialist for the design and production of fuselages, is a partner of Airbus in its A350 XWB programme.

For the nose of this new plane, whose lower and upper shells are on display at the International Paris Air Show, Aerolia has incorporated the best in composites and metals technology.

The nose section, which weighs a total of 3 tonnes, was designed by the Aerolia Engineering Office, which numbers 350 engineers including 100 Aerolia specialists based in Toulouse, with a long experience of fuselage design.

To date, 70% of the 3000 plans necessary for the design of the nose have been completed and delivered to the sites in Méaulte and Saint-Nazaire for production of the first elements. By the end of August, all plans will have been declared "firm" jointly with the Airbus Client entity, exactly as scheduled.

"Our know-how in both metals and composites enables us to give this part of the fuselage the necessary resistance to withstand bird-strikes while also meeting the weight requirements for this high-technology section," points out Christian Cornille, CEO of Aerolia SAS.

Production began at the end of 2010 in Aerolia's brand new Composites Unit in Méaulte, equipped with the very latest technologies.

Aerolia teams have so far produced the panels for the first three aircraft and started to assemble the clips and frames. Since mid-June, elements of Aircraft Number 4 have been in the clean-room for lay-up operations, overturning and preparation for the autoclave.

"One of the strengths of our teams and our facilities is the ability to create the forward lower shell which is notable for having a double curve and the largest radius of curvature of the entire plane," adds Guillaume Vuillermoz, Head of the A350 XWB Programme at Aerolia.